* Pargat Singh Incidents of assault on Congress candidates and humiliation by removing their turbans in Patiala, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Nabha, and Zira are shameful
* Congress candidate in Majitha was not allowed to file even a single nomination paper; police misused authority
* Congress warns officials and urges the Election Commission to take immediate action against hooliganism.
PTB Political News : The Aam Aadmi Party government has not only resorted to blatant hooliganism but also strangled democracy by preventing candidates from opposition parties from filing their nomination papers for the Zila Parishad and Block Samiti elections. The government is openly misusing the police and district administrative machinery for political purposes. Proof of this misuse lies in a viral audio recording in which police officials can be heard directing personnel to obstruct opposition nominations.
The Congress Party strongly condemned the widespread incidents of violence and intimidation reported from multiple districts and blocks across Punjab. Expressing apprehension that the AAP government might forcibly reject the nomination papers of Congress and other opposition candidates, the Congress leadership cautioned officers to work within the framework of the Constitution rather than behave like puppets of the government. They reminded the bureaucracy that only one year of this government remains, and power can change hands anytime. Officials were urged to refrain from coercive acts and maintain neutrality. The Congress also appealed to the Election Commission to immediately intervene and ensure free and fair elections.
Congress MLA Pargat Singh alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party crossed all limits on the last day of nominations. Since early morning, AAP workers engaged in organized hooliganism across several parts of Punjab. In Dera Baba Nanak block, Congress candidates were physically attacked inside a government office, and their turbans were forcibly removed—an act caught on camera by bystanders and now circulating widely on social media. The video has been forwarded to the Election Commission, which must take serious note and act promptly. Congress workers staged protests against the high-handedness.
In Rajasansi (Amritsar), a Congress candidate was brutally beaten and injured in full view of police officers, sustaining serious head injuries. Congress leader Bhagwant Pal Singh Satcher reported that in Majitha constituency, not a single Congress candidate was allowed to submit papers, as police officers acted like AAP workers, obstructing the process entirely. “The Punjab Police should remove their khaki-blue turbans and wear AAP’s ‘Main Bhi Kejriwal’ caps instead,” Satcher remarked, adding that the AAP government has turned the police into its political volunteers.
Similar incidents were reported from Bholath (Kapurthala), where Congress leaders were manhandled, and their documents were snatched in an attempt to stop nominations. In Sumana (Patiala), nomination papers were torn and confiscated, preventing candidates from filing them. In Shutrana, candidates were denied NOCs, and their nomination papers were not accepted. Congress leaders held protests in these areas, condemning the government for violating election norms.
In Rajpura, Ghanaur, and Nabha, papers of Block Samiti members were snatched and torn, and they were not allowed to enter government offices. Several of these incidents were captured on camera. In Zira, a former MLA held an overnight protest, accusing the government of forcing Congress candidates to withdraw and preventing them from filing nominations altogether.
The Congress further alleged that Manish Sisodia, AAP’s Punjab in-charge, had earlier instructed party workers and cadres to use every possible tactic to secure victory, suggesting that winning at any cost is their sole objective. Acting under his direction, the AAP government has openly used official machinery to manipulate the election process and has flagrantly violated the rules of the Election Commission. By fostering an atmosphere of fear and lawlessness, the government is attempting to hijack the election.
